Broken Together
by Asori
Summary: Tasha could only look at him for a long moment, part of her wanting to fight against the one who had hurt her and the other part wishing only to seek comfort from him. She decided to compromise. "Donald, you're never around anymore, the kids are gone – my baby is gone – and I'm here all by myself. Alone."


**Hello everyone, Asori here.**

 **I wrote this about two months ago, but I didn't get around to posting this until now, and I am regretting waiting so long. I guess I kind of/sort of/maybe predicted an aspect of the most recent _Lab Rats_ episode _Forbidden Hero_ , and this turns out to be very close to ereader12's emotional _days and days_ , so this may seem to be unoriginal by this point. I can't say anything to convince you guys that I'm being honest, and that is totally my fault. Oh well :S**

 **I was also missing Tasha for the past few episodes because I do like her character. Considering Forbidden Hero and any other FanFics about this subject that are already out there, I'm posting this the one day I'm home before more travels and before this subject gets old.**

 **This is a one-shot inspired by the song _Broken Together_ by Casting Crowns – I encourage all of you to check out the song as you read this. Enjoy :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own _Lab Rats_ or the characters, just the plot.**

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Tasha sat in the chair in the living room, her legs crossed and her chin in her hand as her elbow rested on the armrest. She stared at the wall with a mixture of anger, hurt, and sadness, blinking back threatening tears as her chest tightened painfully. She gripped the other armrest with her right hand, wishing she didn't feel the way that she did.

She had not been called in for a story that day – she hadn't been called in for a story for a number of days – and had been utterly alone for the longest time. She had tried to enjoy the fact that she no longer needed to clean the house so often anymore, and had used her free time to catch up on reading her magazines, taking a pleasant walk through the beautiful neighborhood, going out to lunch with her mother, and watching her favorite cooking show again. But it wasn't long before she ran out of magazines and TV episodes, she grew tired of her mother's harsh traditional opinions, and even the scenery of Mission Creek became stale.

Tasha had quickly realized that earthly pleasures were not enough, and she recognized a deep feeling of sadness setting in. The mansion that had once been warm with life now felt large and hostile, making her sadness ever more potent. Ghosts of what once was danced from room to room, further unnerving the despairing woman.

She heaved a shuddering sigh, squeezing her eyes shut. While she had always been unsure of the three bionics since Leo discovered them the day they moved in, Adam, Bree, and Chase had grown on her. And now without their presence, things just weren't the same.

But the real wound to her heart was the fact that Leo was gone as well. Her son, her baby boy, was no longer under his mother's care. While he and his bionic step-siblings/cousins were alive and very well, they were on an island in the middle of the ocean, miles and miles away.

Even Donald, her husband, wasn't around very often anymore. Of those missing from the Davenport home, she saw him the most, but even that wasn't enough. Seeing him once every few days wasn't enough. She had once been certain that he truly loved her; now she wasn't so sure.

And with that despondent thought, Tasha knew that even if the others were the ones who were on an island, she was the isolated one. She had been left behind.

A warm pressure built up behind her eyes, and her unshed tears finally leaked out from the corners of her eyes, her breath hitching raggedly. She tried to dab away the tears so that her make-up would not smear, but it was in vain. She was only glad that she had turned off Eddy a long time ago so that he could not scoff at her now.

When the tidal wave of emotion subsided, Tasha took a deep breath and blew it out as if she were blowing air out of a straw, willing her breathing to grow even once more. She glanced at the clock on the microwave, and seeing the time caused her to lose control again; Donald was an hour and a half late. He couldn't even keep his word and be on time for her. He didn't care about her enough to be on time.

Minutes ticked by, and still Tasha sat as a statue, battling to overcome her inner turmoil. Her eyes stung and her lips buzzed from all of the crying she had done already, but still the salty liquid flowed down her cheeks.

She heard the front door open from behind her, accompanied by an announcement of "I'm home, Tasha!" She groaned to herself, knowing that she looked like a mess. If he was going to be late, couldn't he be late enough to let her clean up first?

"Tasha?" Donald asked, sounding confused. She listened to his steps as he came around the chair and into the living room so that he could see her, and she lethargically opened her eyes to see a look of deep concern on his face as he knelt down to her level.

"Tasha, honey, is everything okay?" he asked in a soft voice, taking her right hand in his warm ones.

Tasha swallowed, taking a quick breath to clear her mind at least a little bit. "I'm fine, Donald."

He shook his head slowly, saying "No you're not, honey. Please, talk to me. You know you can tell me anything." In an even softer voice, he said "Tasha, please."

Tasha could only look at him for a long moment, part of her wanting to fight against the one who had hurt her and the other part wishing only to seek comfort from him. She decided to compromise. "Donald, you're never around anymore, the kids are gone – my baby is gone – and I'm here all by myself. Alone."

"You know this is the only way, we talked about this. I wish it was different, but this is the hand we've been dealt. Please try to understand," Donald pleaded, attempting to soothe her.

"I do understand," Tasha said angrily. "That doesn't mean that I don't feel lonely!" In a quieter voice she added "That doesn't mean I don't wonder if you still love me."

Donald looked into her eyes for a long time, hurt and shame defining his features. "Tasha, before I even met you, I was infatuated by you. And then when I saw your beautiful face for the first time…."

She looked away, the memory of meeting him for the first time playing behind her eyes. That moment had been magical, nothing that could ever be described.

"When I look at you now, I still feel the same way now as I did then – I have not stopped loving you, but if anything, my love for you has grown stronger," the billionaire said, massaging his wife's hand gently.

"Then why this?" Tasha choked, meeting his eyes again. "Why have you left me behind if that's true?"

Donald's eyes fell. "I never meant to leave your side. I guess that I've been so busy building my kingdom of bionics that I've… neglected you." He rubbed his eyes with one hand, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

They sat like that for a long while, the silence heavy. Donald broke it, saying "I've had a lot of shattered dreams, but this one is the wildest and it's still alive – I guess that I've been chasing it so much that I've left our love behind."

"When we were still newly married, you said you would never abandon me for the world. What happened to that promise?" Tasha asked sadly.

"I'm not your prince in shining armor; while I _am_ the awesome Donald Davenport, I'm not the man you dreamed I'd be. The man I am is broken."

"We're all broken," Tasha said, knowing it was her turn to comfort her husband. Pushing past her bitterness at being hurt by him, she knew that what was needed now was forgiveness. "We'll just have to be broken together."

"I'm sorry I'm not your dream Donald Davenport."

"No, you're _my_ Donald Davenport. You complete me, and without you I wonder what happiness is." She paused. "Do I complete you?"

"Yes," Donald replied in a heartbeat. "I miss you every moment we're apart, which is a lot. But I've tried not to think about that, and it's easier."

"I wish I could just forget about you too," Tasha said with biting sarcasm.

"No no no, please, that's not what I meant!" Donald said desperately, reaching up to wipe away fresh tears from Tasha's face. "Please, give me another chance."

Tasha closed her eyes. "Donald, you've hurt me a lot. You haven't been there for me. You've left me behind. I don't know if I can keep doing this." She heaved another large breath. "Can healing still be spoken to save our marriage? Donald, I don't know. I just don't know."

"How can I make it up to you? What can I do?" Donald asked helplessly.

"You can't," Tasha said, swallowing hard. "There's nothing you can do." She watched her husband's head hang, and she sighed. "Only God can help our hearts align."

There was another long silence before Donald broke it yet again, saying "Don't give up on me. Please. You're the love of my life, and I won't fail you again."

"It's going to take more than empty promises this time."

"They're all I have now," Donald said, guiding Tasha's chin towards him so that she would look directly at him. "I don't want them to be empty, and I will do my best to keep them. But I'm not perfect and I will make mistakes. Can you accept me even then?"

Tasha looked deep into his eyes, the two of them staring at each other for a long moment. "Yes," she finally answered, her face softening. "I may be hurt by you, but I can't stop loving you. I hope you won't stop loving me."

"Never," he said with a small smile, shaking his head slightly. He stood a little bit, taking Tasha into his arms. "I will never stop loving you. Never."


End file.
